DARPA and the Rise of the Machines

[shahadi]

Lessons from the Nagorno-Karabakh War and the Impact on The *Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency* (DARPA)

In the post, “Interesting Read” by Wdll, regarding the Azerbaijan vs Armenia war (https://forum.shrapnelgames.com/show...42&postcount=1) I found the following intriguing: “Still, the Azeris also used the *Israeli Harop loitering munition, which was able to work under adverse conditions (although at reduced effectiveness) as it does not, unlike drones, require a guidance link.* Hence among armies that are likely to prepare to fight wars in the future – not only the US, China, Russia but regional powers such as Turkey, Israel, and South Africa – this experience will certainly prompt further research into *artificial intelligence* and autonomous lethal weapons systems.

And here’s why, in the month of August, 2020 DARPA held an AI vs Human dogfight competition. Heron Systems bested seven other AI competitive algorithms for the right to challenge a human F-16 pilot in a virtual dogfight. The results are alarming, not only did the Heron AI win the challenge, but also what is most noteworthy is that the human pilot did not score a single hit.

What we learned is that the AI can perform maneuvers that a human pilot cannot as the AI is not hampered by g-forces while performing complicated calculations at a fraction of the time it takes a human being. With machine learning married to a diverse array of technologies, the AI powered drone (aircraft) as demonstrated in the Nagorno-Karabakh war poses significant advantages on the battlefield and in a generic sense, the political dimension of conflict.

We may recall the F-18 Hornet aviator’s gun cameras following unknown aircraft making stunning aerial maneuvers. I suggest while the F-18 drivers may not have known of the origin of the aircraft they witnessed, I suspect the aircraft were powered by AI developed in the US by companies as Heron and educational institutions as MIT in lieu of alien UFO technology. By leaking the AI break though in this manner, the US served notice to China and others that with this technology the US will control the skies in any kinetic confrontation; thereby, reducing the probability of armed confrontation, while consequentially, opening the door of political dialogue ever more.

In any event, here’s the URL to view the DARPA competition: https://youtu.be/NzdhIA2S35w